Silicon Waveguide Curved Edges Bulk Substrate Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity and functionality of integrated circuits, particularly in devices like mobile phones, require faster switching capabilities, which are often achieved using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, but these substrates are expensive, making them impractical for widespread use.
Innovation Solution
The development of silicon-based optical waveguide structures with a bulk silicon substrate, a silicon dioxide layer, and a silicon germanium intermediate layer, where the waveguide edges are modified to a 45-degree directionality to enhance efficiency, and a computer-implemented method to adjust IC design structures to form curved shapes and convert crystallographic directions, enabling more efficient and cost-effective integrated circuit design and fabrication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates are used to achieve fast switching capabilities, then switching speed is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive SOI substrates with cost-effective bulk silicon substrates. The invention uses standard bulk silicon wafer technology instead of specialized SOI substrates, significantly reducing material costs while maintaining the required optical waveguide functionality for fast switching applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the waveguide structure by changing the edge geometry parameters - specifically converting edges from straight lines to curved shapes with specific radius of curvature. This geometric parameter change enables the waveguide to achieve desired optical properties and switching performance without requiring expensive SOI substrates.
2Productivity
If waveguide edges are converted from crystallographic directions to 45-degree directions, then waveguide efficiency is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates curved shape conversions and 45-degree angle transformations during the data preparation stage before fabrication. By pre-calculating and preparing the manufacturing data with these geometric transformations already applied, the actual fabrication process becomes more straightforward, and the complexity is shifted to the design/data preparation phase rather than the manufacturing phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses computer-implemented methods and automated data preparation systems to handle the complex geometric transformations. Instead of manually calculating and adjusting waveguide geometries during manufacturing, the invention uses computational tools to automatically convert crystallographic directions to 45-degree directions and generate the necessary manufacturing data, reducing manual intervention and complexity.
3Productivity
If curved shapes are introduced in IC design structures, then waveguide efficiency is improved, but data preparation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs computer-implemented methods to automatically handle the data preparation for curved waveguide structures. The system automatically converts design structures with curved shapes into manufacturing-ready data, eliminating manual data preparation tasks and reducing the complexity burden on designers while maintaining the efficiency benefits of curved waveguide geometries.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments include a silicon-based optical waveguide structure locally on a bulk silicon substrate, and systems and program products for forming such a structure by modifying an integrated circuit (IC) design structure. Embodiments include implementing processes of preparing manufacturing data for formation of the IC design structure in a computer-implemented IC formation system, wherein the preparing of the manufacturing data includes inserting instructions into the manufacturing data to convert an edge of the at least one shape from a <110> crystallographic direction to a <100> crystallographic direction.